Elizabethan coif

[frualeydis]

Yesterday, when I didn't go to choir practice because I didn't feel well, I made an elizabethan coif from the pattern in The Tudor Tailor. I first made a mock-up from the same hideous cotton print I used to mock-up my 18th century dress (sorry, no pictures of the mock-up, you have to trust me that it looked awful). It turned out a little too small. I think it's the combination of my a little larger than average head and pretty thick hair. So I added two centimetres on the circumference and also made the brim go a little further in front. Though there are many pictures of really small, dainty coifs I've seen some that are more covering too, and I think that fits my peasant costume better. Also this swedish c. 1600 glass painting which has been part of the inspiration show both small and large coifs/caps. Most of them are in colour, but there is one white, and one where you see a white edge on a black cap, probably an under cap. Today I plan to make an over cap from a dull red wool to wear over the white cap.
Anyway, 'nough talking, here's a

Comments

[mirazandar.livejournal.com]

looks good.

I've seen people using that pattern around the web, and it always makes me curious about what it's based on. Are there any images of tudor coifs (or exant) ones that i've missed? When I think about tudor coifs, the first one that comes to mind is this one and that one doesn't have the handy poofyness to maek room for hair at the back

[mirazandar.livejournal.com]

I have the miniature protrait of lady pemberton as the background on my computer at work, thus I start every day thinking that "wooow, I need to make an "everyday" tudor dress that doesn't have the silly sleeves". I really love the more casual tudor look.

[mirazandar.livejournal.com]

uh. that last comment had to do with white coifs sticking out, and the first with the fact that the book was called the tudor tailor. yep

i rant

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

Hmm. This is the elizabethan version and there are quite a lot of pictures of coifs with what seem to be a poofy part on the back of the head. There are however other theories about how it was made. Drea Leed (http://www.elizabethancostume.net/headwear/coif.html) used to think it might be a caul pinned to a coif, but nowadays describes it as a circle of fabric, gathered and sewn to a brim, just like in the Tudor Tailor's version. Laura Mellin has a very different theory (http://www.extremecostuming.com/articlesii/howtowearthecoif.html), that the poofy part is made by using the drawstring at the back of the coif and tie them around a bun. I am not convinced. Firstly, I don't think a high bun was the most common hairstyle in elizabethan times, whenever we see hair it seems to be more common to braid it and cross it over the head. Secodly, if this had been done with those preserved, elaboratedly embroidered coifs, there shoull have been quite a lot of wear where the ties had been stretched around teh bun and there are as far as I know no examples of that.
But since this is teh woman who in another article (http://www.extremecostuming.com/articles/twoelizabethanhairstyles.html) states that since there were no bobby pins in the renaissance the corect period solution was to sew the hair in place. Well, there may not have been bobby pins, but there certainly was u-shaped pins; and as anyone who has long hair knows those are what you use to secure your hair in buns etc, since they are so much better at it than bobby pins. That is a classical example of when lack of knowledge makes people come up with more complicated solutions than people in period did.

/Eva

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

This should be continued with this:
So, I'm not sure I trust her research.

/Eva

[liadethornegge.livejournal.com]

I find myself in agreement with you on that. The tieing it around the bun always struck me as needlessly complicated.

[tattycat.livejournal.com]

And 'sides, I've tried that whole tied-around-the-hair thing, and I don't know what kind of evil voodoo magic *she* uses, but using the method described on her site, I *cannot* get it to stay on my head. This may be due to me having abnormally thick hair, or I may just be stupid, but the other coif pattern from Tudor Tailor (the Henrician coif) stays on my head way better.

[ginger-dragon.livejournal.com]

That is a classical example of when lack of knowledge makes people come up with more complicated solutions than people in period did.

Indeed!

[ciorstan.livejournal.com]

If you look carefully at the cap under the Queen's velvet bonnet, it looks very much like the 'Henrician' coif from The Tudor Tailor.

http://www.tudor-portraits.com/CatherineParr1.jpg

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

I know, that's one of my other objections to Laura Mellin's theory. There are more examples, though few as obvious as Catherine Parr's coif. It feels odd that she bases her argument on drawings and sketcehs and ignores more detailed visual evidence.

/Eva

[sneprinsesse.livejournal.com]

I'm amazed at all the things you manage to finish!

And a question: Do the "flaps" sort of flap around, or are they stiff?

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

They're wired so they don't flap at all.

/Eva

[liadethornegge.livejournal.com]

That looks pretty good! I think for myself I'd find the long cheek pieces a bit annoying, coming so far to the front, but I bet it feels more secure on the head as well.

The caul bit still looks fairly dainty to me, but so far my attempts have all had that piece oversized. Haven't found the perfect middle ground yet, I suppose :)

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

My cheek pieces do go down further than the original pattern, but I don't feel bothered by them yet. I'm busy wiring the outer cap now, which has slightly shorter cheek pieces and I think they may look a little better.

/Eva

[ginger-dragon.livejournal.com]

Very nice!